Gas safety certificate (CP12) for landlords

A gas safety certificate is the record of the safety check that every landlord in England must arrange, at least once every 12 months, for each gas appliance, fitting and flue they provide. The check must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and you must give existing tenants a copy within 28 days of it and new tenants a copy before they move in.

You'll see it called a CP12, a landlord gas safety certificate or a landlord gas safety record. They all mean the same document. It is one of the core items on our landlord compliance checklist.

What is a landlord gas safety certificate?

The duty comes from regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces it, and a breach is a criminal offence under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

As a landlord you must:

1. keep every gas fitting you provide, and any flue serving it, in a safe condition;
2. have each appliance and flue safety-checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer;
3. get a record of each check and keep it.

Appliances that the tenant is entitled to take away, such as a cooker they brought with them, are not covered by your duty.

For tenancies that began on or after 1 May 2026, your written statement of terms must also explain your gas safety duties if there is a gas fitting in the home.

How often do you need a gas safety check?

At least every 12 months. Three timing rules sit alongside that:

• a new appliance must have its first check within 12 months of being installed;
• for a new letting, the most recent check must fall within the 12 months before the tenancy starts;
• after that, checks must be no more than 12 months apart.

The 2-month early window

Booking early doesn't cost you months. Under regulation 36A, a check carried out in the 2 months ending with the deadline date is treated as if it had been done on the deadline date. Your renewal date stays where it was.

Your record says the next check is due by	Check done on	Treated as done on	Next check due by
31 March 2027	15 February 2027	31 March 2027	31 March 2028
31 March 2027	20 January 2027 (more than 2 months early)	20 January 2027	January 2028

In the first row, any date from 1 February to 31 March 2027 keeps the March anniversary. In the second, the check falls outside the window, so the 12 months start again from 20 January.

The one-off alignment rule

Regulation 36A also allows a check in the 2 months beginning with the deadline date, but only once for each appliance or flue, and only to bring the deadlines of appliances in the same property into line. It is not a general grace period.

Watch out: If you simply miss the deadline, you are in breach. Don't treat the alignment rule as two months' extra time.

Keeping old records

Keep each record until two further checks have been made. For an appliance you've removed, keep the last record for 2 years after that check. If the property has an HMO licence or a selective licence, a licence condition also requires you to give the council a gas safety certificate every year.

When must tenants get a copy?

Who	Deadline
Existing tenants	Within 28 days of the check
New tenants	Before they move in
Lets of 28 days or less	You may display the record prominently in the property instead

If the engineer visits on Monday 2 November 2026, send the copy that week and treat Sunday 29 November 2026 as the last safe day (counting the day of the check as day one). Keep proof of how and when you gave it.

Gas safety certificate cost

As an estimate, a landlord gas safety check costs about £60 to £90 per certificate. That figure comes from a single commercial price survey updated in September 2026, so treat it as a guide only. The price varies with the number of appliances and the region.

Note: These are estimates, not fixed prices. Get quotes from Gas Safe registered engineers before you book.

Penalties for not having a gas safety certificate

HSE prosecutes gas safety breaches as criminal offences:

• in the magistrates' court, you face imprisonment up to the magistrates' court limit and/or a fine;
• in the Crown Court, you face up to 2 years' imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

In a licensed HMO or house, failing to send the annual certificate to the council is also a breach of a licence condition, which can bring a civil penalty of up to £40,000.

Once the new private rented sector database opens in your region, your property's entry will also need the gas safety record and its date, under the draft regulations laid on 9 September 2026.

Does a lapsed gas certificate stop an eviction?

Not under the statute any more. Before 1 May 2026, failing to give tenants the gas safety record could invalidate a section 21 notice. Section 21 has been abolished for private tenancies, and the Housing Act 1988 section 7, which sets out when the court can make a possession order, contains no gas safety condition. Some websites still say a lapsed certificate blocks a Section 8 notice. The statute text doesn't support that.

That isn't a reason to let it slip. A gas breach may still be raised as evidence on discretionary grounds, can support a tenant's disrepair counterclaim, and shapes how the council views you. The compliance duty that does block a possession order is deposit protection.

Landlord gas safety checklist

• List every gas appliance, fitting and flue you provide.
• Book a Gas Safe registered engineer for a date in the 2 months before the deadline.
• Check the record covers every appliance and flue in the property.
• Give existing tenants a copy within 28 days, and new tenants a copy before they move in.
• Keep each record until two further checks have been made.
• In a licensed property, send the council a copy every year.
• Note the next due date, and update your database entry once your region's registration opens.

What to do next

Add your next gas safety due date to ValidNotice's free compliance reminders, so you can book inside the 2-month window and keep the same anniversary every year. Then check your other safety duties: the EICR electrical inspection and the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules.